Beer news
- The biggest news this week is the recall of Commercial Suicide bottles from Jester King Craft Brewery. Jester King has asked retailers to pull any remaining bottles from their shelves, and consumers should return bottles to their local retailer or the brewery.
- Final round of the Hop Bowl hosted by Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery runs this week, from Monday, December 26 - Monday, January 2. Help decide the hoppy ale favorite by participating. Just order the Hop Bowl Flight for $7.50, taste and choose your top 2 favorites in each round. Don't forget to turn in your ballot to the ballot box.
- Austin Beer Guide continues their "Best of 2011" readers poll today. Find out how you can support your favorite local brewpubs and breweries here by December 31, 2011.
- NXNW Restaurant & Brewery continues their holiday gift-giving through the end of December with a growler special. $50 gets you an etched swing-top growler, and a card good for 5 fills of house brews (excluding higher priced seasonals).
Beer events
- December 26: Monthly cask night at NXNW Restaurant & Brewery. This month's selection is a coffee stout, infused with NXNW's special roast by Texas Coffee Traders.
- December 26: $3 Texas pints at The Flying Saucer Austin all day.
- December 26: Glass night at Black Star Co-op, buy a pint of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and receive the pint glass free.
- December 28: Zax Restaurant weekly glass night will feature a giveaway of miscellaneous beer logo glassware.
- December 28: Black Star Co-op's Special Tap Night features Stone Brewing Vertical Epic 11.11.11. This year’s batch starts as a Belgian-inspired strong amber-brown colored ale, but Stone’s twist combines an interesting mix of hops, cinnamon, and Anaheim chilis from New Mexico’s Hatch Valley.
- December 28: Brewery Night at The Flying Saucer, with Hops and Grain, starting at 7 pm. Buy the beer, keep the glass -- limited supplies.
- December 31: Jester King Craft Brewery will be featuring a new draft release as well as aspecial guest cask in their tasting room. Jester King will offer their Thrash Metal Farmhouse Strong Ale, Bonnie the Rare Berliner Weisse and Le Petit Prince Farmhouse Table Beer, and debuting the Mad Meg Farmhouse Provision Ale. Special guest gravity keg of Brauerei Bayer Landbier from Bavaria, with food from Happy Hobo Co-op Cafe and music from Vanessa Lively. 1 - 4 pm.
On the shelf
- Adelbert 's Brewery inaugural release Scratchin' Hippo, a Belgian style Biere de Garde ale, is now available. Pick some up at Sunrise Mini-Mart as well as other local beer retailers.
- Real Ale Brewing 2011 seasonal release of their English style barleywine, Sisyphus hit shelves this past week. Try a vertical tasting, but brewmaster Tim Schwarz recommends not aging more than three years.
- Another 2011 seasonal release is available in local retailers, Mephistopheles (Imperial) Stout from Avery Brewing.
On tap
Holidays means that not a lot of new releases are coming out this week, so continued from last week:
- Live Oak Brewing Company's weizenbock and winter seasonal, Primus, is now available throughout town including at Bar Lamar at Whole Foods Downtown. Also on tap at Bar Lamar this week is Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling Oatmeal Pale Ale and Independence Brewing 7th Anniversary Ale, another Brewluminati Release. This English-inspired IPA is aged on light oak, contributing toasty malt characteristics and subtle oak flavors to complement the abundant spicy and citrusy hop flavors.
- Available at Black Star Co-op, HoliDEE is a cask-conditioned version of the Double Dee spiced with vanilla bean, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. While there also consider trying Ranger Creek's first anniversary ale, Uno, now available on tap locally.
- Don't forget that every time a pint of Thirsty Planet Brewing Company's Silverback Pale Ale is purchased, almost $2 of that purchase is donated to the Austin Gorilla Run, raising awareness and funds for Mountain Gorillas.
Have local beer news or events that you would like to share? Leave a comment or email me at debbie@austinwomensbeerleague.org.
Comments